Parents' Guide to Jewel

Movie NR 2022 80 minutes
Two women, one middle-aged and White, the other young and Black, look into the distance.

Common Sense Media Review

Andrea Beach By Andrea Beach , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Tense South African drama steeped in past violence.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

  • A young woman stands in front of a rural fence.
  • A woman standing in a road gazes into the distance.
  • Jewel movie scene 3

Parent and Kid Reviews

See all

What's the Story?

JEWEL is the story of a work trip that professional Cape Town photographer Tyra (Michelle Botes) takes to the country town of Sharpeville, where a terrible massacre took place in 1960. While touring the town, Tyra becomes strangely drawn to a beautiful young woman she sees around town, Siya (Nqobile Khumalo). Tyra asks Siya to be her unofficial tour guide, which raises suspicion and jealousy in Siya's boyfriend, Tshepo (Senzo Radebe). Truths about the past and the present bubble up to the surface amid clashes between different ideas about justice, revenge, and moving out from under the dark cloud of the past.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

This is a tension-filled, almost gothic drama with some fine points, but also some problems that make it a bit of a mixed bag. Jewel is a compelling exploration of how different kinds of people are affected by tragedy, and how they try to deal with it, even many years later. There are some fine performances and some that just get the job done. Some of the storytelling is confusing, with scenes that are hard to understand or seem unnecessary, and the music chosen to create tension and drama is overused and overdone.

That said, mature teens who can handle the sex and violence will learn a lot about apartheid, the Sharpeville massacre, and how past tragedies continue to reverberate into the future. It's a good starting point for important conversations and may encourage further learning about South Africa.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Jewel handles the violence, both present day and the past massacre. Does it inform or educate, or is it gratuitous? Why?

  • What about the sex? Is it there for a reason? Is it too much?

  • How much did you know about the apartheid system in South Africa before you saw this movie? Did you know about the Sharpeville massacre? How is the past, systemic brutality affecting people all these years later?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Two women, one middle-aged and White, the other young and Black, look into the distance.

What to Watch Next

See all

Best International Films for Kids

See all

Travel Movies

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate